


rising into love.

by darlingjongin



Category: offgun
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Fluff, M/M, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23039509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingjongin/pseuds/darlingjongin
Summary: the idea of falling in love scares Gun, so Off suggests they rise instead.
Relationships: Off Jumpol Adulkittiporn/Gun Atthaphan Phunsawat
Comments: 9
Kudos: 272





	rising into love.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction written from the author’s (my) own imagination. Although I retained the names of some of the characters, this is purely fictional and is not made to reflect the identity of the characters in real life. This story is for entertainment only.

Falling in love is something Gun Attaphan couldn't fathom. The idea of completely giving himself up to a person sounds bizarre, despite his desire to feel love, falling sounds too dangerous for him.

It's been four long years since he's been in a relationship and he keeps it that way, a stagnant motion of partying, hanging out with friends, working and caring for his family. He busied himself with other types of love.

_ Platonic love. _

Gun is known to be extroverted. You'd see him hanging out at the club with his best friends, learning how to bake and even sewing tore socks just so Tay can wear something decent for once. Everyone knows the person to call during late nights is Gun - because he's the only person insane enough to drive to your place in the middle of the night to hang out with you.

_ Familial love. _

Gun adores his family. Even though he doesn't need to, he makes sure to take the day off and babysit his little brother every Sunday in the evening before his dad comes back from work. His sister gets jealous sometimes, but even she couldn't help but adore the new member of their family. Gun, despite his lack of vocal skills, will sing at the top of his lungs, dancing around the house whilst forcing his sister to dance with him, putting on a playlist which consists of songs they grew up listening to, storage of nostalgia all wrapped up in three hours worth of music.

Gun even loves his work. Although an office job seems like the worst thing ever, his company gave him a group of colleagues to kill time and even their work hours are full of jokes and pranks whilst being told off by seniors who would also join them for a drink at the end of the day.

His system didn't seem all too bad. In fact, he didn't even realise he was single for four years.

That is until he met Off Jumpol.

\---

'Who's the new guy?', he asks as he swivels his chair to Tay's cubicle, wondering why their manager has been on the phone for an hour preparing a new office for someone.

'They're hiring a freelancer. He'll be our project manager for six months'

'Is this about the new deal Godji made with Framestore?', Gun asks, spinning his pen around his finger, curious as to why the company is suddenly taking itself seriously.

'Yepp. She wants this project to do well. I mean, if it does, we might even get a raise', Tay adds on a bit of excitement at the end, feeling somewhat ready to take on such a big task even though their company is relatively small and quite humble in their results.

'I hope the project manager isn't uptight', Gun, on the other hand, is worried. He's not a big fan of change and on top of that, their mysterious project manager is causing whispers amongst the company which drills into his skin throughout the morning and the afternoon, his colleagues filling up their conversation with nothing but this mysterious person.

'I heard he's closed off'

'He also doesn't seem to like going out'

'God… I bet he's strict as fuck'

All of these assumptions are true. And more. Gun meets their new project manager at the meeting, all the team members waiting for their leader to introduce himself after a whole day of curiosity, only to be met by someone relatively their age or maybe a few years older - hell, when Gun first laid eyes on him he thought he was looking at a teenager at first. Their project manager looked hella young.

'Hello, my name is Jumpol Adulkittiporn, but you can calll me P'Off'

\---

He's closed off. Most of the time, if they're not in a meeting, he would be in his office, eyes glued on the screen, always typing away or reading something. He'd speak to P'Godji once in a while but other than that, it's rare to see him around.

He also doesn't like to go out. He refuses any team dinner after work, excusing himself first and leaving their building before anyone could change his mind. Gun didn't like that about him. He came off as patronising and arrogant.

And fuck is he strict.

Gun walks into the building ten minutes late - as usual - with his morning coffee and sunglasses hiding his dark under eyes after staying up late helping his dad with his little brother's school trip preparations.

Tay waves at him but New - who's sitting next to his cubicle - gives him a warning stare, definitely out of the usual of his typical playful behaviour.

'What's up?', he asks him and he probably shouldn't have since he freezes when he realises someone is leaning on his cubicle, arms folded and waiting patiently for him, 'P'Off, what're you doing here', it surprises him to find their project manager outside of his office.

'I notice you're always ten minutes late. Is this a usual routine for you?'

'Uh… Yeah', Gun couldn't help but tell the truth, 'P'Godji doesn't seem to mind though', he adds on to try and make an excuse for it.

'Well, P'Godji isn't the project manager now, is she?', he replies to him, his voice slightly bitter and it sends Gun off a loop. He's never had anyone at work tell him off like that, 'Next time I need you to turn up to work on time like everyone else', is all he says before he leaves his cubicle, walking past him and towards his office.

New breathes out a sigh he's been holding in, biting his lip as he waits for Gun to sit next to him, the room slightly awkward from the sudden conflict between the two.

'What the fuck is wrong with him?', Gun asks, agitated to have started his morning in such a rough way, 'He didn't tell me off before so why now?'

'Maybe he's interested in you?', Tay suggests to which Gun throws a paperclip at him.

'Don't be fucking ridiculous', he snaps at him, 'He hates me'

\---

Hate or love, no one can tell but at the very least, everyone in the building can conclude that there's an interest that Off Jumpol has with Gun Attaphan.

It started during a meeting a few weeks ago. Gun was in charge of the presentation to which his old MacBook couldn't handle the storage so it took a while for things to load which meant an awkward silence in a room full of tired people.

'Gun, do you think it makes more sense for you to buy a new laptop?', Off broke the silence, he tapped the end of his pen on the table. They all looked straight to Gun who looked up from his screen, he moved to face the project manager.

'It still works fine'

'Are you sure about that?'

'Well, if you're getting annoyed, why don't you prepare the presentation next time?', Gun bit back, not the type of person who takes on bullshit from anyone, not even his seniors.

New gave him a worried look, his feet kicked him under the table to warn him. It almost felt like everyone in the room took a deep breath, holding it as they wait for Off's response.

He didn't say anything for a minute, he just tapped his pen on the wooden table until Gun's laptop finally loaded, the PowerPoint projected on the screen.

'Fifteen minutes and seven seconds', Off finally said and they all turned to look at him, a look of confusion in everyone's face, 'That's how much time you wasted, so I can expect you to work fifteen minutes overtime today to make up for it'

'Are you serious?', Gun asked him, shocked that Off would command such a thing but their project manager looked at him dead in the eyes, no sign of a joke coming out of him.

Off Jumpol was insane.

\---

Now Off seems to find the smallest of details in Gun's performance and tallies it. Every minute Gun took his time to make coffee is another added minute of overtime he has to do after work to make up for it. He couldn't even talk to Tay about their plans after work in the break room without Off coming in and adding another minute to his overtime.

It feels unfair and he almost went to human resources to complain about it.

Almost.

\---

You see, something is interesting which happens after work when everyone's done and all that's left is Gun finishing up his minutes.

The day is dark and the hallways are empty. All he can hear is the tapping on his keyboard and when he looks up he can see the glass walls of P'Off's office. He sees the man working overtime with him even though he didn't need to.

He doesn't see his project manager in a new light per se, but there's something more intimate at the idea that it's only them left in the building, alone and in each other's silent presence.

Gun Attaphan made the mistake of looking up. He sees Off staring at him and they share a second of connection, just two pairs of eyes staring into each other.

He didn't know who broke it off, but he feels his fingertips shaking when he looks down. 

It continues like that for the next few days.

Off would give excuses for Gun to work overtime and the latter would have to give up the night of partying to stay extra hours in the building, reworking his reports and preparing for the next meeting. During the in-between of his sanity, he would look up and see Off steal glances towards him, looking up at him for a few seconds before going back to his work. It made him wonder what on earth would be going through his project manager's mind.

Gun Attaphan is brave, much braver than he should be, so he stands up and walks over to P'Off's office, clearly having enough with whatever it is they've been doing for weeks now. He knocks on the door and opens it without Off's permission, stepping inside the latter's space for the first time since he arrived.

'P'Off, can I ask you something?', he asks suddenly, no warning and no signal given to which Off's expression is somewhat shocked.

'What is it?'

'Why exactly are you making me work overtime?', he questions, walking up to his desk and leaning his hands on it, stepping over the gap between them, 'And why are you so quick to steal glances towards me?'

'Am I not allowed to check up on the team's slacker?'

'Slacker? Since when have I ever slacked off work?', Gun asks, raising his voice in full offence of such accusation.

'Well, you're working overtime for a reason, right? To make up for lost time', Off replies to which Gun can only snort, disbelief running through his brain at how thick-skinned this guy is.

'Me making coffee isn't slacking off. It's basic human rights for me to make coffee if I want to'

Off didn't say anything. He's more surprised that Gun is dropping formalities with him as soon as he pushes his buttons. No signs of polite language as he continues to attack him, arms now folded and eyes glaring at him, his voice raised. He couldn't help but smile at the view in front of him.

'Oh, so you think this is funny?', Gun snaps his fingers in front of him, killing his trance, 'You think I'm a joke?'

'No', Off answers, 'I just think you're cute when you're irritated'

Gun's never usually left speechless, but this is once in a lifetime when someone manages to stop all words flowing from his mouth. He pauses as he looks at Off, seeing him smile for the first time.

'Gun Attaphan, I think you're cute'

\---

To say Off Jumpol is interested in Gun is more of an understatement now.

P'Godji is the first to find out when she walks into Off's office, seeing the man staring straight ahead to the cubicle ahead of him, watching Gun working and talking with his colleagues whilst he has a cheesy grin on his face.

'What the hell is going on?', she asks, not wanting to jump into conclusions but it's hard not to when Off looks like a teenager straight out of an 80s rom-com movie.

'I never knew Gun could be like that'

'Like what?', Godji asks as she stares ahead, following Off's gaze to which lands on their youngest employee, laughing with everyone as he shows them something on his phone, his dimples showing, 'God, don't tell me you've fallen for him. I thought you couldn't stand him?'

'That's what I thought too', Off admits, but there's something else hiding in his chest that he hasn't felt for Gun before.

\---

See, a couple of weeks ago, Gun fell asleep whilst working overtime. Off noticed when he randomly looked up to see the slacker was leaning on his arm, forehead on the desk and eyes closed. He sighed and felt disappointment from the young man. Godji praised him so much that Off was expecting a high performing staff, but instead he got a sleeping boy.

He got up, his fingers buttoned his blazer as he opened the door and headed towards the sleeping man. He looked down on him and he leaned on the cubicle.

Off touches Gun's shoulder as he was about to shake him awake but something odd happened. Gun reached his hand out and held Off's, his fingers intertwined with his as he whined in his sleep. Off seemed taken aback with the sudden interaction. He wanted to kick Gun's seat and tell him to wake up but he leaned in and observed Gun's sleeping face instead. It was peaceful and he almost looked like a baby when he sleeps. His lips pouted and he whined again, his fingers gripped him tighter and for a moment he felt his heart skip a bit.

\---

Godji finds a good way to get Off and Gun together - and that's by forcing Off out of the office and dragging him to the team dinners. Of course, the latter refuses multiple times, but she manages to persuade him when she tells him that the next team dinner is actually a celebration of Gun's birthday.

Off hears his team members talking about it. He's somehow gotten close with Tay and he listens to him talk about the type of cake they're going to order for Gun during their break and he listens attentively though he doesn't add any input to it. He still doesn't know Gun and learning his small obsession with chocolate and sweet things made him feel a little closer. He slowly realises that he wanted to know more.

Off Jumpol can be seen hanging out in the break room more often. He listens to everyone's conversation, stirring his drink in the corner whilst he keeps his ears open.

'Gun's been tired lately. He's been working overtime plus taking care of his brother'

'Yeah, he seems to be cutting down his nights at the club, I hardly see him anymore'

'That's cos he just wants to sleep the moment he gets off work. Haven't you noticed he's been coming in fifteen minutes early every morning?'

'He's the last to leave too'

'I hope he's okay. I don't want him to overwork himself'

'What can you expect… P'Off called him a slacker. You know how passionate Gun gets when he wants to prove someone wrong'

'Tell me about it. That man's one step closer to insanity whenever someone riles him up'

\---

'You don't have to stay behind', Off suddenly says as he walks over to Gun's cubicle, his hands inside his pockets as he leans on the latter's desk, seeing that the boy still hasn't shown any signs of leaving despite the clock ticking to half-past seven.

Gun looks up at him, his sleeves rolled up and fingertip dented after typing for six hours.

'You told me to work overtime'

'If you noticed, I stopped tallying you weeks ago', Off chuckles, 'You've proven yourself a hard worker so you don't need to work overtime', he says again, 'Just make sure to get a new laptop so the whole room doesn't have to wait for your stuff to load'

Gun didn't know if Off is still being uptight or if he's suddenly joking with him. All he knows is that a wall seems to be brought down between the two of them, no longer do they feel tension and Gun would even steal glances towards Off's office without noticing it, something he didn't think he would do.

\---

Gun's birthday celebrations have always been wild. He likes it that way. The music blaring, lights almost blinding him as the DJ plays another song which almost breaks their ears.

'Three! Two! One! Happy Birthday, Gun!', his friends all shout, raising their shot glasses and shouting praises at the now turned twenty-seven-year-old. Gun smiles, taking a shot and feeling the burn run down his throat, it makes him almost forget about the elephant in the room. A literal elephant in the room as they see their project manager sitting amongst them in his suit and tie, agreeing to tag along for the first time which brings a new wave if whispers to enter Gun's ears.

'He's never agreed to go on dinners but when it comes to Gun's birthday, he's quick to say yes'

'Do you think anything happened between them?'

'Apart from Gun wanting to rip him to shreds?', he hears his colleagues gossiping in the break room of all places, feeling his cheeks burn as he walks away and avoids the questions from them. He also didn't know if anything changed between the two of them.

He has to admit to himself that he too is starting to have interest on the manager, watching him stride to work with his briefcase, talking on the phone or to P'Godji. He would also steal glances at him during meetings, pretending to write notes when in actuality his eyes are fixed upon him, seeing him writing, his eyes fixed on the speaker. He notices how attentive he is. 

Gun wonders why Off has to tag along to his birthday dinner when all he wants to do is forget about this sudden infatuation he's having on him.

'You're gonna tell me why P'Off is looking at you?', New points out, tugging his sleeves and making him look in front of him to see their manager, stealing glances once more whilst drinking his beer. He's the only one who skipped out on the spirits and ordered himself a pint of something bitter.

'I have no idea. He's been doing that for weeks now', Gun admits to New, not finding anything wrong with confiding with his colleague on this sudden change in his relationship with the uptight manager.

'He's definitely interested in you. Maybe you should fuck him'

'He's our manager, are you crazy?', Gun hits him on the shoulder, 'It's already awkward enough as it is, could you imagine if we hook up?'

'Look, all I'm saying is there's definitely tension, so at the very least, talk it out before it explodes'

'I don't want to'

'Why not?'

'I'm too scared'

\---

Gun's friends and colleagues disperse as the night goes on, some dancing at the front whilst others continue to drink in their booths. He finds himself wanting to get lost in the moment, so he drags New to dance with him, jumping up and down and screaming at the top of his lungs. Just because Off Jumpol tagged along doesn't mean he's going to stop himself from having fun, he intertwined his fingers with New, not letting him go as they get lost into the music.

\---

'You should go join him', Tay is the only one brave enough to speak to Off, noticing that despite his intimidating look, he's honestly not scary. Off looks at him and gives him an odd expression, something between questioning and a 'really? Is that a good idea?'. Tay can only laugh at him as he grabs another drink, 'We all kinda know you have a crush on him'

Off didn't say anything. He didn't like the idea of his colleagues gossiping about him, but even he has to admit defeat. He can tell he's obvious too.

'Just dance, he's drunk anyway, it's not like he's gonna argue with you'

'I don't like dancing'

'But you like Gun', Tay points out, giving him an encouraging smile, 'Just try it. It might be fun with him'

So that's how Off finds himself in the middle of the dancefloor, amongst the smell of sweat and alcohol and a crowd of people pushing him. He regrets not changing his work clothes like the rest of them, knowing it's gonna take more than dry cleaning to take the stench off his clothes. 

He finds himself in the middle, with no way to go back as the crowd continues to push him in. He keeps moving until he finds himself in front of Gun, the young man dancing around the small space that he has, singing along to the words of the song. Despite the awkward space between them, he couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the man. Gun's always been bright and he can tell even at work, but it seems like his youth has still yet to dissipate.

Gun turns and stops dancing the moment he realises who's standing in front of him, the two stopping still, like two particles being pushed by kinetic energy around them until there's barely any space between them.

'Did you come here to dance or to stare at me?', Gun asks when he sees no signs of movement from Off, an antithesis to the jumping crowd around them.

'Can't I do both?', he asks which causes a course of waves in Gun's stomach.

'If you're gonna dance then just dance', Gun tries to forget what Off just said, grabbing his arm and tugging him towards his small space. He continues to dance, inviting Off to join him which surprises both of them. He thought he'd tell Off to leave if he doesn't wanna dance but he finds himself urging the older to dance with him despite his mind warning him that this might not be a good idea.

The music changes but they find themselves in a rhythm, feeding off of each other as Gun lets Off snake his arms around him, the two become closer than humanly possible.

He feels dizzy. But he's not drunk. He's only had a few shots, but his brain is drunk on something else. He feels Off's hands slide inside his shirt and he feels his breath hitch, but instead of stepping away, he invites it. He dances closer, letting his back hit Off's chest, swaying his head as he leans on Off's shoulder, closing his eyes and letting the music blur out his conscience.

Off doesn't like dancing, but he likes Gun. He suddenly enjoys the pressure of the latter's body on him, swaying to the beat of the music until he loses control and wraps his arms around him. He probably shouldn't have but the distance is short anyway, he might as well close it.

\---

No one talks about Gun's birthday party. Mostly because everyone witnessed him making out with their manager in the middle of the dancefloor and no one has the confidence to bring it up.

It's not like they're not allowed to have relations within the company or team, and everyone already had assumptions over P'Off's gradual crush on Gun but the fact of the matter is that they all witnessed Gun initiating the kiss.

Tay and New almost lost their shit whilst they were dancing, New gripping on Tay's arm as he turns the latter around, both their jaws hitting the ground as Gun tiptoe to teach Off's lips, his hand locking their manager's neck in place.

New looks at Tay, his mouth still hanging open as they point at the pair, not knowing whether to pry them off each other or cheer in celebration.

Gun, on the other hand, pretends nothing happened - or he tries - but fuck why does his cubicle have to be right in front of his office? He refuses to look up. He sits down and does his work without talking, trying not to look up, his eyes glued on the screen.

New struggles to get his attention and Tay almost has to shout at him for Gun to turn and respond to him. His two colleagues look worried, especially when they notice someone approaching their cubicles. New kicks Gun's leg but the latter doesn't respond and he tries to warn him but it's too late.

Gun sees someone sliding a bottle of orange juice on his desk and he pulls out his headphones and looks up. He feels his cheeks burn when he sees Off leaning, his hands in his pockets after offering him a drink.

'I suppose you'd need a pick me up after last night'

'What? No, I don't. Nothing happened last night!', he screams the last bit and he can hear his coworkers chuckling amongst themselves, Tay and New shaking their head in embarrassment.

Off chuckles too, looking down at him, 'I'm only saying that you drank a little bit too much alcohol', he comments which made him blush even more since it's him who's bringing it up and not the latter.

'Uh… Yeah…', Gun didn't know what else to say. All he can do is take the drink and say his thanks. He's probably going to jump off the company window after this.

'But…', Off continues to speak, 'Now that you've brought it up, maybe we can talk about what happened last night over dinner?'

'What?', Gun is taken aback, he can almost feel his gut-wrenching at the sudden question. No skipping around or acting shy, Off Jumpol is the type of man to get shit done.

'We shouldn't talk about it during work, it sounds unprofessional, so I thought we should talk out of work hours'

'Wait, so is it not a date?'

'It is if you want it to be'

_ That motherfucker. _

Tay and New chuckle at Gun's embarrassing statement, another slip up just minutes after his other one. Gun's usually not this flustered so it entertained them more to see his tongue-tied and shy in front of their project manager.

'I… No, I don't want to', Gun says, wanting to keep what's left of his pride in the form of a rejection but he feels slightly disappointed when Off didn't fight him, nodding his head and excusing himself from his cubicle, 'You're not even gonna ask me again?', he calls out to him at reflex when Off started walking off.

'I don't force people to go on dates with me. A no is a clear no', he replies and everyone stream nods of approval and smiles when they hear Gun be the one going back on his own words. They couldn't help but feel impressed with Off's answer.

Gun, however, can only huff in frustration, feeling the whole building looking at him and his skin suddenly feels on fire.

_ What an asshole,  _ he thinks, biting the insides of his cheeks. He tries so hard not to embarrass himself but that failed spectacularly it hurts his pride. He goes back to his work, pretending the whole conversation didn't happen but this time Tay and New refuse to let it go, laughing at him and making fun off him all morning.

'You're lucky he's nice', Tay chuckles, clapping his hands as he watches Gun tug at his hair in embarrassment, leaning on his desk and hiding his flushed face on his arms. Gun gives him the middle finger, leaning back down on his desk and wishing the ground can eat him up already.

\---

'You probably should stop flirting with Gun', Godji talks to him when they finished finalising the weekly reports. She's heard of what happened and at first, she feels giddy at the thought that her previous employee is finally opening up, but the thought that it's with Off Jumpol, it worries her.

'You didn't stop me before'

'He's… Still a kid', she says, not really knowing how to describe Gun's personality, especially in regards to love, 'He hasn't been in a relationship for years'

'And?'

'Well, he doesn't talk about it but his last break up was a little brutal'

'Does he have trust issues?'

'Kinda', Godji admits. She's close enough with Gun to know about him, even down to his issues despite being his boss, 'He just doesn't like being in relationships anymore and I highly doubt you'd be the perfect candidate to break that'

'Why not?'

'You're only here for four more months Off Jumpol', she reminds him, 'You're going to be reassigned in Singapore after this, remember that'

\---

Off Jumpol is true to his words. He doesn't chase after anyone who's made their answer clear. He's not that type of man. But Godji made him realise that he doesn't have time to play chase with Gun, not when he agreed to be reassigned to Singapore as soon as he finishes this project.

'So, about that date you said no to', Off approaches Gun in the break room, walking to the coffee area where Gun just finished making himself a cup. The younger looks up at him with curious eyes when he mentions it again, sipping his drink, 'Do you mind reconsidering?'

Gun chokes on his coffee, spilling it on his cheeks and down his neck. Off grabs a tissue and holds it up to him to which he reaches out, patting it on his cheeks and looking down, not having the courage to look up.

'I thought you said you don't chase people around when they've said no'

'Yeah I know', Off says, 'But I'd thought I'd try again, just to see if you've changed your mind', this didn't help Gun's existential crisis at all. It made it worse since he spent all morning contemplating whether he should've said yes to the offer and having to finally come to terms that he probably ruined everything only to be asked again, going back to square one on whether he should say yes or not.

'Uh…'

'I kinda hope you'd say yes this time around', Off says before Gun can reply, smiling at him and for the first fucking time in years, Gun feels giddy.

\---

'You said yes?!', Tay and New scream at him as soon as he sits back down to his desk, calling over his two clowns of a friend, explaining to them what happened to which they can only beg for him to tell them more but what else can he say?

'You're fucking whipped for him already, aren't you?', New teases him, tugging at his sleeves and making Gun slap him on the arm, warning the pair of them not to make fun of him otherwise he'll kill them both.

He had to say yes. What else could he do? Reject him the second time and regret it till the next morning? Pride is completely out of the window now so he might as well roll with the punches.

'Who knew you were this easy to crack?', Tay makes a snide comment to which Gun glares at him, throwing a paperclip at his direction before going back to work.

But Tay Tawan does have a point. If no one knew Gun from before, they would easily have thought he falls head over heels with just anyone.

\---

The restaurant is chic but not too fine that Gun feels out of place. In fact, it's perfect for him. The music is soft but cute, it's a few minutes from their workplace and he didn't have to pretend to know the menu since the place isn't pretentious.

'Godji spoke to me about today', Off mentions as soon as they take their orders, an awkward silence begging to be filled with conversations between them.

'Oh, what about?', Gun asks, drinking his water whilst they wait for the wine Off asked for.

'You', Off replies, laughing when he sees Gun choking on his drink.

'Why did you mention me?'

'I didn't, she did', Off laughs, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt as he slowly relaxes, 'She says it's odd you'd say yes to a date'

'Well, she's got a point', Gun mumble, looking around the restaurant, 'I don't even know why I said yes myself', he whispers more to himself, scratching the back of his ears before finally looking up at Off. He's still in his work clothes, clearly coming straight to the restaurant from work whilst Gun had time to change and get ready seeing as he didn't need to work overtime anymore. Gun feels awkward. Off still looks the same but everything is different. They're no longer in the restraints of their work and Off's work clothes look sexy now that his tie is gone and he's more laidback.

'Well, thank god you said yes to me', Off smiles at him, 'Although, maybe I need to apologise first'

'Apologise for what?'

'Well, maybe I could've approached you more friendly?', Off suggests, laughing at himself, 'But then again, it's kinda a right of passage to be slightly strict to the youngest of the team'

'Did you bully me just because I'm young?', Gun asks, 'But you're not that old from me'

'Yeah, I know. This is my first time being in charge of a project by myself', Off admits, 'I used to be the young one getting bullied by my superiors'

'Were you?', Gun laughs, imagining Off having to follow orders from someone else and it feels out of place. He's been so uptight and decisive, it's odd for someone to tell him off, 'Well, maybe you can cut me some slack now'

'Maybe you should explain why you kissed me last night', Off diverts the conversation to the elephant in the room, finding it amusing to see Gun's flustered expression, hands fiddling with the cutlery.

'I was drunk'

'Were you?', Off asks again, his smile refusing to leave his face. It finds it fun teasing the shy kid.

'Look, you led me on', Gun defends himself, pointing an accusing finger at him, 'You were dancing too close'

'Was I?', Off asks again, to which Gun kicks him underneath the table.

'Yeah! You were!'

'What's that got to do with anything? It's a club anyway, what did you expect to happen?'

'Did you want me to kiss you or not?', Gun complains, hating that he's being asked so much when he didn't know why he did it. Maybe it's an impulse or maybe it's him wondering how Off's lips felt like pressed against him, all he knows was that…

'Depends. Did you enjoy it?', Off ask, raising an eyebrow and smirking, making Gun blush even more.

'Don't ask me that'

'Oh, so you didn't enjoy it'

'I never said that', Gun murmurs but Off hears it, making him smile as he leans back on his seat, stretching his leg until his foot rests on Gun's, the sudden touch making the latter freeze.

'I enjoyed it too', Off suddenly confesses, 'A bit sudden but I didn't hate it', he smirks at the last bit and Gun this time couldn't take it anymore, stepping on Off's feet and glaring at him.

'Don't fucking tease me'

'Is that any way to speak to your manager?'

'It's after work hours, you're not my manager right now'

'Oh really?', Off continues to smirk at him, 'So what am I?'

\---

Gun wakes up in someone else's apartment. Off Jumpol's so to speak.

Fuck it. What's the point lying to himself? Off's been teasing him throughout dinner, it riled him up so much that he forced his way to Off's car, sitting on his lap as he crashes their lips together, his fingers combing through Off's hair.

It's frustrating. Off Jumpol is frustrating. 

'You okay?', Off asks as he enters the room, his hair damp and a towel hanging around his waist. Gun couldn't help but roll his eyes, wrapping the blankets around his naked body.

Last night's events are still fresh in Gun's memories and he couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Sure, he's never been in a relationship in a long time, but he's hooked up once or twice, he never put himself in a position where he was sexually frustrated - but last night maybe he was by the sounds of his moans and the scratch marks all over Off's back which he's too embarrassed to even look at. 

'You should eat some breakfast', Off suggests to him, reaching his hand and rubbing his head trying to get him up, 'I only have cereal but I can try and make you some eggs'

'Cereal's fine', Gun says, mumbling as he finally slides his face out of the blanket, watching Off get changed in front of him. The red skids down his back are still visible and he felt bad for a minute, that is until he looked down on himself under the blanket, seeing that he too is left with red marks all over his body. Looks like they both wanted to make a point last night.

'It's Saturday', Off says as he turns back and Gun notices that this is the first time he's seen Off in casual clothing. He may look young in general, but just in jeans and a Hawaiian shirt, he looks even younger. He can almost pass as a college student, 'Are you doing anything today?'

Gun thinks about it for a minute. His sister is taking care of their little brother at her place whilst his dad and stepmom go off on a weekend trip, so his schedules are freed up for the whole weekend. He'd rather die than meet up with Tay and New. He knows they'll instantly see the hickeys all over him and they'd lose their shit.

'No', he finally replies, sitting up and combing his hair with his fingers, 'I'm free the whole day'

'Good', Off smiles, 'Then maybe you can accompany me'

'Where?'

\---

'You wanted me to go grocery shopping with you?', Gun asks in disbelief as they enter a grocery store after eating breakfast, Gun having to use a turtleneck to hide hickeys, walking side by side with the man who made them.

Off smiles, goofy and sweet and it made Gun's stomach churn when they pass each aisle, watching him dump anything and everything in their trolley.

'Are you gonna feed a whole city?', Gun chuckles, watching Off place two cartons of milk.

'I haven't been grocery shopping in months. It's all been takeaways', Off explains, 'I should probably start putting food in my fridge'

'Why?'

'Well, I don't know if you'll be coming back to my place, but I gotta be prepared for it, right?', Off smirks at him and Gun feels himself blush. He hates the fact that his cheeks can easily go red when Off is just teasing.

'You make me never wanna go back to your place again'

'Oh, so you don't wanna try my cooking?'

'You cook?'

'Not really', Off shrugs, adding a bag of cheese to the cart along with some garlic, 'But how hard can it be?'

\---

Cooking is fucking hard.

'The food is stuck to the pan! It's gone black Off!', Gun complains, turning off the stove and opening the windows as the smoke begins to climb the ceiling.

'This video told me to leave it for fifteen minutes!', Off argues, raising his phone and showing the youtube video he's been following and Gun couldn't help but smack him on the head.

'You're an idiot', he says amidst coughing, standing by the window and letting the smoke escape the kitchen, laughing at Off as they examine what's left of the pan, seeing the burnt food and chuckling to himself.

'Maybe the takeaway isn't so bad', Off sighs, leaning next to Gun, 'Do you want some Chinese?'

'Yes please'

\---

Gun finds himself adjusting his routine for Off.

He babysits his brother on the weekends as usual, but he leaves early, right when their dad comes back from work. It's odd that he no longer stays over for dinner.

But that's cos he spends his evening somewhere else.

'How old's your brother?', Off asks one dinner, the pair of them settling to another night of takeaway since Off failed once more to make dinner.

'One and a half', Gun smiles, 'His name's Win'

'That's cute', Off smiles back at him, 'He's almost the same age as my niece, she's a couple of months older though'

'Oh really?', Gun seems surprised that Off's sharing a little bit about himself when all he's been doing is asking him all the questions. It suddenly made Gun have the desire to get to know him too.

'So, do you have any siblings?'

'Just my sister'

'I have a sister too, she's younger than me though', Gun finishes his meal and wiping the stains from his mouth. The comfortable conversations switched to bickering when he steals fries from Off's plate, the two fighting over their food but still laughing.

Gun feels comfortable.

\---

Gun sits facing Off during the meeting, his eyes on the piece of paper as he writes down notes, pretending to pay attention to Tay as he explains the current status of their project. He feels Off's feet resting on his, playing kicking it. He looks up and sees Off's straight face, forcing him to hide his smile as he playfully kicks him back, the two hiding their interactions under the table.

'So, like are the two of you dating or nah?', New asks the question first, swivelling his chair to Gun's desk and leaning his arm on his chair. Tay hears their conversation and joins in, also just as curious.

Everyone can tell something's going on even if they haven't told anyone. Firstly, Off's been joining too much team dinners for them not to notice.

Gun just shrugs, not answering his question but there's a smile that he couldn't help making when he looks up from his cubicle, looking into the desk to see Off working, his eyes on the computer screen, his work clothes hiding the numerous marks he's made on him the night before.

He likes keeping it a secret but he wonders how it feels like to show it off.

\---

Gun's about to ask the status of his relationship with Off when he hears his voice inside the break room.

'So, the project is looking promising. I expect to see positive results', he hears Godji speaking to him.

'Yeah, I'm pretty confident in it'

'I supposed we'll have to give you a big going away party once this project finishes', Godji sighs, 'I'm gonna miss you'

'I'm not dying', Off laughs, but Gun feels uncomfortable.

'You're leaving for Singapore. I won't get to see my Junior often anymore'

'I'll be back one day'

\---

Gun doesn't come to Off's apartment on Saturday. He stays over his dad's house, playing with Win as they watch Peppa Pig together.

'Hey, it's the first time in months that you're staying the night', he dad walks in the living room, surprised that his eldest is still here, 'Is anything wrong?'

'No', Gun replies but his voice is hollow and expression sad. His dad notices immediately and sits down on the sofa.

'Look, as much as I love you staying over here, I was kinda glad that you would leave after I arrived home', his dad admits, forcing Gun to turn to him and give him an offended look. His dad can only laugh at him, stroking his hair and turning the volume down slightly. Win is too preoccupied to notice the two adults talking on the sofa.

'Do you not want me to come over?'

'That's not it', his dad shakes his head, 'I just thought maybe you were spending the time with someone else… Someone interested in'

Gun didn't say anything but his silence is his answer as he leans back on the sofa, sighing, 'I'm not'

'You've been my son for twenty-seven years now', his dad laughs, 'You think I don't know when you're lying?'

'That's not it', Gun sighs, turning to face him, 'He's not someone I'm interested in'

'Your look says otherwise', his dad counters, 'Tell me, what's the problem?'

'He says he'll be leaving soon'

'Leaving? Where?'

'Singapore. And I don't even know if he's coming back'

'Well…', his dad nods, beginning to see Gun's problem, 'You know sometimes distance makes the heart grow fonder'

'I doubt it', Gun chuckles, but he finds no humour in his dad's words, 'It'll just make him forget about me'

'No one can forget about you Gun'

\---

_ Hey, how have you been? You haven't texted me back. _

Gun ignores Off's text messages but he couldn't ignore him for long since Off walks over to his cubicle, asking for him to come over to the break room to talk.

Everyone else around them can hear and they try not to be obvious but their all ears when Gun pretends to ignore him.

'Gun, what's going on?', Off asks, nervous when he feels Gun pushing him away, not knowing why he had a sudden change in attitude when the past couple of months have been going great between them, 'Did something happen?'

'No', Gun finally answers, continuing with his work.

'Then tell me why you weren't picking up your phone yesterday'

'I've just been busy', Gun says, standing up and sorting out his papers, 'I'm going to see P'Godji. Do you need me to tell her anything? Maybe what you want as a going-away present before you leave for Singapore?'

Off is taken aback at his last sentence and he slowly pieces everything together, from Gun's sudden avoidance from him to his downright moody attitude.

'You know about Singapore?'

'Yeah I do, and it seems kinda fucked up that you never bothered to tell me', Gun says, pushing past him and walking out of the room to which everyone else looks at Off with hanging mouths.

Everyone finds out about Singapore.

'So, is he gonna stay there permanently?', New asks Tay who's the closest to Off besides Gun in the team, the whole squad talking amongst themselves at the bar after work. They feel sorry for Gun and they somehow feel annoyed at Off for not mentioning it to them either.

'Who knows. I just found out today', Tay sighs, taking a shot and leaning back on his chair, 'Maybe there's a reason why Off didn't mention it?'

\---

Gun hears a knock at his door and he wants to ignore it, but the banging continues, forcing him to get off his bed and to his front door.

He swings it open and freezes when he sees Off standing in front of him, 'What the hell are you doing here?'

'PGodji told me where you live', Off says before Gun can ask him. Off's never been at Gun's apartment before.

'Well, if you think I'm inviting you in, then think again', Gun simply states, about close the door when Off wedges his feet between, forcing a gap.

'Please let me tell you something', Off begs him, opening the door and facing Gun again, 'Singapore is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me'

'Then I hope you have a good time there'

'I wanted to make it official', Off says before Gun can kick his feet out of the way, 'I wanted us to be official before I left'

'Why?', Gun crosses his arms, 'You're just gonna leave me'

'I'll only be gone for four months', Off says, 'It's a small project for a big company but I'll be back before you know it. I promise'

'I don't do long-distance', Gun replies, 'There's no point in them'

'I promise I'll make it work. The time difference isn't bad anyway', Off says, 'It'll be like I never left'

Off is desperate. He wants Gun to say yes to him before his time's up and he has to leave. He was indeed nervous to tell Gun about Singapore, because the initial contract lasted for nine months, but he figured a way to compromise and shorten his stay without missing out on the project. Four months is still a long time, but he knew they could work with that. He was going to tell Gun once the new contract was finalised but it seems like someone let it slip before he could.

'Four months is a long time'

'I'll make it feel like it's not', Off promises him, taking a step closer and stepping inside Gun's apartment. Gun lets him, watching Off close the door, walking backwards until his back hit the wall.

Off leans his hand on the wall, caging Gun between him as he leans down and rests his head on the latter's shoulder, 'Please let me make it work', he says again, his voice barely above a whisper, waiting for Gun's answer.

He didn't hear Gun's voice but he feels his arms snake it's way around his waist, hugging him tight and he smiles instantly, breathing out a sigh of relief as he looks up, their eyes meeting each other and in Gun's, he sees fear yet trust in him. He edges closer and closes the gap between them, pressing his lips softly on Gun.

\---

'Make sure to call me when you land'

'I will'

'And stick to the schedule'

'You didn't have to make a timetable of when we should facetime, I'm only gonna be an hour ahead of you'

'Stop complaining and promise to stick to the schedule, okay?'

'Okay', Off chuckles, looking down at Gun as they arrive at the airport, his luggage already sent off. Gun is nervous, he can tell, it's been weeks and he's been ordering him around and forcing him to promise that the distance isn't going to change anything. Off makes sure to comfort him in forms of kisses, hugging him tightly whilst they make love every night, wanting to do everything he can to show Gun that he's willing to make this work.

'And visit me when you can', Gun asks, looking up with a pout on his lips, his hands never leaving Off's, 'Maybe just for a weekend, or a day?'

'Or you can come over to me instead', Off smiles, 'I'll buy the plane tickets myself', he wraps his arms around his boyfriend, kissing his forehead, 'It'll only be four months. I'll be back before you know it'

'You better', Gun mumbles on his shirt, burying his face on his neck, 'I don't wanna fall in love if I have to let you go'

'You won't have to. I promise', Off comforts him one last time, hearing his flight being called over the speakers, telling him it's time to go. He pulls back from the embrace and looks down on Gun, seeing tears brimming at the corners of his eyes. He smiles and leans down, kissing them before it spills down to his cheeks, 'I love you', he whispers giving him one last hug before he grabs his backpack and separates from Gun.

'I love you too', Gun says back before the gap between them widens, waving at Off and staring at him before he makes a turn and disappears from his view.

\---

It's been two months since Off left. He's stuck to the schedules most of the time.

But it's been a week and he hasn't replied to any of his calls or messages. At first, he excuses it, since the company is big, he expected Off to be busy once the project takes on full swing, but the days prolonged and he sits in his cubicle all day looking down at his phone and waiting for his name to pop up.

'Don't mop around, do some work', he hears Godji telling him off as she enters the building, seeing Gun's eyes glued to his phone.

'P'Off hasn't picked up his calls for a week', New breaks down the news to her, 'He's going insane'

'Do you think something happened?', Gun asks her, knowing that the two are close, 'Did he speak to you recently?'

'Nope', Goji replies nonchalantly, 'We've both been busy with work'

'He can't be that busy that he won't reply to my text', Gun whines, looking back down on his phone and feeling nervous. He misses Off so much and not hearing his voice is slowly driving him insane.

'I'm sure he'll call you back', Godji says, hiding a smile from him as she walks back to her office.

Gun finally receives a text from Off after work and he feels like dropping everything.

_ Americano or Latte? _

It reads it and feels confused.

_ What? _

_ Why haven't you called me back? _

  
  


_ ANSWER THE QUESTION  _

Off ignores his last message, ordering Gun to answer his question first. What is wrong with him lately?

_ Latte. Why? _

Off doesn't reply to him and leaves him on reading.

'What the fuck?', he whines looking down at his phone and feeling irritated. It's not like Off to ignore him for a week and text him a random question like that. He packs his bag and refuses to go to dinner with his colleagues, too annoyed and confused to be enjoying himself. He wants to call Off and asks him if there's anything wrong, but he knows his calls are gonna get ignored anyway.

Is this the start? Is this how distance ruins relationships? Was it the beginning of the end for them?

Gun's head is full of question, he jumps when someone shouts his name as soon as he walks out of the building, looking up and seeing a figure waiting for him right outside the gates.

'Off?!', he screams when he recognises the figure, waving at him as a raised a cup of coffee - probably a latte - his arms open as Gun runs up to him, engulfing him in the tightest hug he could give.

'What the hell are you doing here?', Gun asks but he didn't care for the answer. He feels elated at the sight of him that all of the questions in his mind immediately disappears, 'I thought you were ignoring my calls on purpose'

'I was', Off laughs, swaying him back and forth in an embrace, 'I wanted to surprise you', he confesses, handing him his coffee as he looks down on the young man, 'Did it work?', Gun didn't need to reply, his smile widens and his dimples show as tears brim in the corners of his eyes.

Off couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him, missing the touch of his embrace and cupping his hands on his cheeks, kissing the tears before it can spill on his cheeks, sliding his lips down until their pressed against Gun's, the two finally feeling each other for the first time in two months.

'How long are you gonna stay for?'

'Just the weekend', Off says after they break off from the kiss, he sees Gun whining at the short stay and he hugs him back, stroking his hair, 'We're almost halfway done', he reminds him, 'I'll be back soon'

Gun realises that Off might not be able to get another weekend off tor travel back for him so he grabs Off's hands, urging him to get a move on and rush over to his car, wanting to make every moment last and to savour it before he leaves again.

'Come on, let's go back to my apartment'

'Slow down tiger', Off teases him, 'I'll be here till tomorrow evening, we can take our time', Gun hits him on the arm and he obeys the younger's orders, rushing to his car and laughing as they crash their lips on each other again, making sure to close the windows and lock the car doors just in case.

  
  



End file.
